Page 41 of A Love Like Candle Light

"Does anyone want a coffee?" I take the cake carrier out of Nic’s hands so she can take off her shoes and brush past them, having the urge to keep my hands busy. "Okay, maybe not coffee, because it’s late and I'd like to catch some sleep tonight. Hot chocolate?" I ask over my shoulder, earning three delighted squeals.

"Hell yes! First hot chocolate of the season, baby!" Nic punches the air.

Those three take over my house like a storm. Without having to ask, Kieran and Nic get plates and cutlery out of my cupboards to set the table while Lauren unpacks the cake that I’m pretty sure her boyfriend baked. And I lean my back against the kitchen counter and watch it all unfold, as I once more wait for milk to boil.

"So, consider this your official welcome to Wayward Hollow," Lauren declares ceremoniously once we all sit at the table. Dick barks, tail wagging.

"My son agrees." Kieran leans down to run his fingers through Dick’s fur.

"You all are so sweet." I clear my throat. They really are. “I don’t know what to say.” In the city, my closest friends were my coworkers. Even when we only lived a fifteen-minute bus ride away from each other, the only time we'd actually see each other was during work functions.

I used to get coffee with Gabriella once a week, but then she got pregnant, ‘even existing became exhausting’ and those coffee dates stopped. We never reached the friendship level of appearing at each other's house without any notice and a cake. Though looking back, maybe I should have done that.

“Then shut up and let’s eat cake,” Lauren says lovingly and shoots me a wink.

"As long as you live here, you're not getting rid of us." Nic gives Lauren a nudge. I stare at them, not sure if it’s a warning or a promise.

"And even beyond that. Unless you tell us to fuck off," Kieran adds with a grin. Maybe it’s a bit of both.

Wait. Beyond that? "So you're telling me, one day you might haunt my house too?" I ask him with wide eyes. For a moment the three stare at me like I grew a second head. Then they burst into laughter.

"Oh my God, we're going to have a ghost party here one day!" Lauren presses out between giggles, so infectuous I can't help but laugh along.

"So, would you do the honors?" Nic hands me the knife once she caught her breath and nods at the cake.

"It's an apple cake," Lauren explains as I grab it and stand up to get a better angle to cut it into not so wonky pieces. "Something with marzipan. I stopped Caleb from adding raisins last second. Everybody be proud of me."

"I'm so proud of you," Kieran declares, wipes an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye and even claps.

Meanwhile Nic shoots him an irritated look. "What kind of raisin haters am I friends with? You think you know people…"

"You love us," Lauren declares with a giggle. “Raisins or not.”

"Of course I do,” Nic declares and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “But I also love raisins. So anyways—"

Bang.

All four of us jump up. The knife slips from my hand and onto the table, making cutlery clank against the plates.

"Are you for real?" I shout into the house. "One picture, ghostie. I'm asking you for one picture on my wall." I grumble and bury my face in my palms.

"Ugh, I know the feeling," Nic whispers. My hands are trembling, so she takes the knife and cuts the cake, then heaves a generous piece onto everyone’s plate. "You've got to embrace it."

"What if I don't want to?" I whisper, staring at my ceiling. "Whoever they are already took over my hobby room upstairs. I bought a house so I could decorate it any way I liked, not the way a ghost liked."

"You should come visit Amanda with us sometime," Lauren declares and picks up her fork.

"The antique store owner?" I tilt my head. “What does she have to do with ghosts.”

"Oh, but she's so much more than an antique store owner," Nic explains. Okay? The way she said it makes Amanda sound like a drug dealer.

And where did this bowl of heavy whipped cream come from that she's offering me? Well, I'm not going to ask. I put some on my plate and pass it to Kieran.

"Do you think she can help with my… ghost issue?" I wave toward my living room.

Nic nods with an infectious confidence. "If anyone in Wayward Hollow can help you, it’s her."

I take my first bite of the cake. Caleb must have magical powers. Seriously, every damn thing I eat at his café is to die for and this cake? Literally takes the cake. There’s cinnamon, there’s apples, there’s marzipan and probably two kilos of butter and it’s the best thing I ever had in my mouth. "Oh my God, Lauren, this is amazing."